


Evermore

by CallenAmakuni



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Canon Compliant, Evolution, F/M, Romance, Secret Crush, Social Links | Confidants (Persona Series), expansion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:55:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27670336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallenAmakuni/pseuds/CallenAmakuni
Summary: A collection of scenes delving deeper into Yu and Naoto's relationship, and their evolution from strangers to friends, then from friends to...something else.An expansion of Persona 4's Social Link system, integrated into the main plot's storyline.
Relationships: Narukami Yu/Shirogane Naoto, Seta Souji/Shirogane Naoto
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	1. Shadows Of A Man

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Thank you for clicking and reading!
> 
> No, the title isn't a typo ;)
> 
> About honorifics: I debated for a long time whether to keep them or not. I decided to stick to what felt right for the character. Naoto will mostly use them because she's always articulate. Yu may lay off on them. If someone doesn't use them, there's a reason.
> 
> Also, characters will call each other like they do in the Japanese dub. Since the Persona 4 setting is quite close to RL Japan in terms of social constructs, it holds too much significance to switch to how the English dub handled it (hence why Yu calls Chie 'Satonaka' for example).
> 
> These scenes will mostly expand on canon material and add new twists or fresh bits to them. I'll also create scenes of my own.
> 
> The goal is to make the SLink feel more organic to the game's plot: the relationship between these two will exist outside their SLink, and be a lot more prominent during the game's high points.
> 
> I can expect a dozen chapters for what I have already planned. Most chapters will be divided into two parts; one for Yu's POV, the other for Naoto's POV.
> 
> If you have any idea of a scene you would like to see expanded in this format or just want to share your thoughts with me, it would be my pleasure!

_Part I_

I couldn't figure that kid out.

Everything about him screamed mystery.

He was a mere step behind us on a case involving a supernatural other world where human lies and hidden truths took form—which he didn't know about—and somehow managed to catch up after the arrest of Mitsuo Kubo. He understood Morooka's death broke the pattern, and that most of the team had been kidnapped already.

All of this, while being a year younger than me.

Now there he was, standing in front of us on the Flood Plain, a single hand on his hip, telling us that he thought we had the means to save the victims.

He was sharp. No wonder he was a detective at his age.

That could make him a formidable ally. Or an immovable obstacle.

I heard Yosuke's teeth grinding in my back and barely repressed a scolding look over my shoulder. Amagi and Rise had been understandably quiet, while Satonaka and Kanji had only reacted to this Shirogane's affirmations with surprised gasps.

I had to probe him to make sure he knew where we stood, without giving away our access to the TV world.

"You're quite confident in your theory," I said, crossing my arms.

The detective boy mirrored my position and met my gaze with unwavering determination, then turned around with a cocky half-smile spreading across his face.

"I am, but I still lack tangible proof. Although, further action will be necessary to obtain some sort of decisive evidence. I know there must be a way."

The probing was not successful. He was good.

"Further action…? What do you mean…?" Satonaka asked, her astonishment plain to hear.

"You don't really need to know," he said, facing us back. "I'll draw my own conclusions. The evidence should come to light."

He walked past me, our eyes not leaving each other until I had to rotate my head to follow him. He then stopped a couple of feet away from us, his head lifted to the sky.

"This is not a game for me either."

And just like that, he left.

But something rubbed me the wrong way with that last sentence.

His voice had sounded a lot more serious than for the last five minutes. As we watched him walk away in a heavy silence, the pieces started coming together inside my head. His appearance on TV, his search for proof, his will to see the case to the end…

There was only one thing that could ever make sense. He had been dropping hints. For us.

"What do you think he's planning to do?" Yosuke asked. "Is he not going to school?"

"Unless it swapped places with that old bat's textile shop, I don't think so," Kanji quipped.

"You go on ahead," I said. "Just wanna check something. I'll catch up in a few."

Rise inched closer to me and nervously stroked her own forearm. "Can't we come?"

"No, it wouldn't be useful. Don't worry, I won't be gone long."

Before they could respond, I was already darting towards the fading silhouette of the young Detective Prince. If I was right, he was running headfirst into mortal danger. If I was wrong, I ran the risk of giving away our access to the TV world for nothing.

I had to be careful.

"Shirogane-kun!"

He stopped as soon as my call reached his ears and threw a glance in my direction. He seemed too pleased for someone who shouldn't have been expecting me.

"Senpai. What do you need?"

I took a second to let my racing heart calm down and rapid breathing ease away. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

He chuckled and turned to face me.

"If I didn't know any better, that would sound like a threat to me. It's precisely because I don't know what I'm stepping into that I have to go to such lengths. Besides, I'm the detective here. You're the ones who stuck their noses in business not meant for them." He raised a hand. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Without you, I'd be as lost as anyone else."

He wasn't getting it. I had to be a little more explicit without giving too many clues.

"This is a dangerous case, you should think carefully about your next step."

"I already did. There are no other options."

Anger started replacing distress in my mind. Why was he so set on doing it like that?

"What if you go somewhere nobody can reach you?" I blurted out a bit louder than I intended.

"I highly doubt that will be the case," he said with yet another proud grin. "I'm sure you found my deductions accurate. And if they are…" He closed his eyes and looked lost in thought for a moment. "I can't let the truth slip away."

My fist tightened on its own. I could sense the heat rising from within, only cooled by the impeding sentiment that I could do little for now. There was no sense in turning into a rage ball.

I could warn him. Or at least try to.

"I'll stop you," I said with as much confidence as I could muster.

Not the most subtle I've ever been, but I hadn't found any other way. I was told I had a good poker face.

He merely adjusted his hat and cocked his head in begrudging acknowledgment.

"I understand the sentiment, but that would prove impossible. You would need to know things you don't. What is coming is ineluctable. Both your group and I need this."

I hadn't thought about how right he was. With the number of unknown variables we had to deal with, we couldn't assume anything.

Mitsuo's involvement was strange in all aspects. I wasn't convinced he was the killer, and apparently, neither was Shirogane.

This was a way to make sure we were all on the same side without arising suspicion inside the police force. He'd get his evidence; we'd see he wasn't the killer—and we'd both potentially prove the case wasn't closed.

Still, the sheer danger he was going to be in…

But I could see it now: he wasn't going to hear me. Maybe he didn't want to, maybe he didn't wish to.

As I kept staring into the deep blue of his eyes, I understood. There was nothing I would say that would change his mind.

"Why…?" was all I could ask.

He dropped his head slightly lower, as if he had been expecting the question, yet resented the answer.

"As I said. Truth is my goal, whatever the price."

"That price might be too much for anyone to handle. Not just you."

"That would be why I have you." He lifted his eyes towards mine, this time a lot less gloomily. I could almost detect a faint trace of cheerfulness in his smile. "I've observed you for a bit. You strike me as someone who doesn't shy away from such endeavors. Especially when we consider how every kidnapping victim has come back, somehow unscathed."

"Sure you want to bet your life on that?" I asked.

"Certain and willing." He turned away, ready to depart. "It seemed I underestimated you. I hadn't thought you'd catch on my meanings."

"I know I'm not the sharpest tool out there. But give me a nail and I'll understand I need a hammer."

"Indeed," he said with another chuckle and a quick nod. "Wish me luck, Senpai."

This was inevitable all right. If his mind was made, there was nothing we could do but wait, though we didn't need to be at each other's throats all the while.

He started walking, his golden-shaded tie flying at his side from the light wind caressing the Samegawa banks with its gentle kiss. However, the light trembling in his steps, as well as the one in his voice, hadn't eluded me.

He could play grown-up with everyone else, but I could see through his act.

"Shirogane?"

He stopped once again. "Yes, Senpai?"

This would be a step further in the investigation. Going along with it would net us an incredibly useful ally. We had to do our part.

But, to be perfectly fair, he looked like he needed some words of comfort. I couldn't let him jump into such a mess blinded and hopeless.

There was one last thing he needed to hear. My word.

"We won't let you down," I said, the hearth of determination burning hot inside me. "Don't do anything stupid in the meantime."

He seemed surprised for a moment, but his features softened in a flash. He lifted a hand, looked at me over his shoulder, and tipped his hat in apparent respect. The smile he displayed then looked off, in a weirdly good way. It was gentle, serene, _beautiful._

He was showing me a true smile.

"I'll leave it to you. See you on the other side."

I couldn't tell whether it was a joke or a genuine statement. Either way, I simply watched as he disappeared from my sight; I let out a deep sigh as soon as he vanished around a corner.

I had to talk to the team about this. They didn't need all the details, but we would have to watch the Midnight Channel closely, monitor the coming rainy days. A familiar silhouette could show up.

I had a feeling the case was very much alive.

I just hoped we could keep that interesting fellow alive as well.

Some frustration started seeping into my will. Why did everything about a shadow murderer throwing people inside TVs have to be so complicated?

My eyes fell to my watch in reflex.

"Great," I grunted when I realized how late I was going to be.

* * *

_Part II_

I almost collapsed to the ground under the sheer strain. I never would have thought it would be this exhausting.

"I… I see what I was, until now, trying to hide," I managed to whisper.

A feeling I had longed for. A feeling I had hoped for, deep down. But a feeling I was afraid of.

My reflection, my own self, my Shadow, stood before me, her hands neatly tucked inside her immaculate white tunic, tears shining in the corners of her eyes.

"You're me. And I'm you," I said.

With a slow, careful, accepting nod, the younger Naoto smiled warmly. We both knew what that meant for us. For me.

She faded away and her smile was the last bit of her to disappear. A small blue silhouette stood in her stead. A little azure shine with butterfly wings and a glowing sword.

"That's it, Naoto."

I twisted my head towards the voice. The Investigation Team—as I had just learned they called themselves—watched me with worried eyes, except for their leader.

He had been the one that spoke. His eyes were different; glowing, shining, caring.

"That's your Persona," he said. "The power to transcend your fear and conquer your being, the strength of your own heart."

The power of my conviction given form.

It merged into me with a glint of white light, its presence a reassuring balm of warmth spreading across my limbs, fusing with every fiber of my body.

My Persona.

_Sukuna-Hikona._

It was a strange sensation; I couldn't help but smile and tear up.

A beautiful tragedy. Fortune had not yet exhausted her fountain for me.

"I was wondering why you were screaming that word during the fight," I remarked with a chuckle.

Despite my attempts at a cheerful façade, my legs gave out under my weight, and I was barely caught by Tatsumi-kun.

"You okay there?" he asked.

Speaking now required some effort. "I am. I will need a minute to rest."

"That's gonna be a helluva lot more than a minute, Missy!" Rise-san said. "We're bringing you back and you're taking a good vacation."

"I still can't believe you used yourself as bait," Hanamura-senpai chirped. "That's a ballsy move."

Satonaka-senpai smacked his head before he could utter a single snicker. "Being around you is depressing."

I would have taken offense to such a comment before. Now, I would have laughed along with them, had my cheeks decided to obey me.

"In any case, you're a devious bunch," I finally managed to say, suppressing another chuckle all the while. "To keep something like this hidden for so long… No wonder the police were powerless."

"This was a tough one," Senpai's gentle voice said. "But you proved it isn't over yet."

Narukami-Senpai. A man of multiple callings, it seemed. The only one who had been able to see through me. But now, I could see through him. There was no more vivacity inside his gaze; he was worn out too.

"Let's get out of here. Kanji, can you lift her?" he added.

"No problem, Senpai."

Indeed, it didn't seem like much of an effort on Tatsumi-kun's part when he stood to his full height.

We walked in silence until we reached the exit of the laboratory, stepping out into a fog-stricken world. The sky was a constant struggle of red and black over stripes of unnatural colour marring a no-more natural Inaba. A vision from nightmares.

A loud thud in front of us drew a few gasps. I first imagined another Shadow had emerged from the depths of my own unconscious, but the following panicked cries were informative enough, if not reassuring.

"Narukami-kun!"

"Senpai!"

My heart jumped at both Tatsumi-kun's sudden dash forward and the idea that Senpai was somehow in danger.

"I-I'm okay, I'm a-all right," I heard Senpai's voice mutter.

I tried as much as I could to force my head to the right and could now catch a glimpse of what had happened.

Senpai was on his knees, Amagi-senpai and Rise-san crouching down at his side while they inspected his face.

"I'm fine, really," he said. "I might have gone a bit overboard for this one."

"No shit," Hanamura-senpai said. "You switched Personas like thirty times. You usually never go above ten. You sure you can walk?"

Senpai grunted while trying to pull himself upwards, failing miserably to push on his legs; he fell right back down. Something sank inside me when I heard him utter a quiet whimper.

Amagi-senpai summoned her Persona and called for the healing hands of Diarahan. A beam of light fell from the skies and enveloped Senpai's body, visibly easing the tension in his shoulders.

"Thanks," he said with a warm smile. "I'll feel better in no time." He then turned towards Tatsumi-kun and me. "But she's the priority right now. Kanji, I want you to take her out of here. You'll need Teddie to open the way. Amagi and Satonaka, please make sure she gets home safely. I'll keep Rise and Yosuke with me."

"But…" Tastumi-kun objected.

"No buts. Can I trust you with this?"

Tatsumi-kun looked hesitant, but Satonaka-senpai's hand came to his shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. He nodded firmly, his determination now reinvigorated.

"Yes, Sir!"

A proud grin spread over Senpai's face. "That's the Kanji I know. Now shoo."

I didn't want to leave Senpai behind. I would have voiced my concern, but the atmosphere around us had drained all my energy. I tried to move, gesticulate; still no response from my own body. A weight settled above my stomach—Senpai would most likely be alright, but that didn't stop me from worrying.

I closed my eyes and waited, lightly rocked by Tatsumi-kun's steps.

"Are you doing alright, Kanji-kun?" Satonaka-senpai eventually asked. "You look a bit red. I can lift Naoto-kun on my back for a bit if you're tired."

"T-the hell I do!" he answered in audible consternation. "M-mind your own damn business!"

"O-Okay…?"

The trip back to our world was shorter than expected. The vortex of pure white I had experienced on the way in presented itself once more, and shortly we were standing inside the Junes Electronics Department, in front of one of its larger televisions.

I didn't know how, but I could feel some energy infusing itself back into me. Perhaps the fog was the reason I had been in such a weakened state?

Nonetheless, I felt that I could speak again.

Tatsumi-kun slowly put me on the ground and took a step back. "You're a moron, you know that?"

I scoffed at how simple yet accurate that sentence was. "…No argument there."

"Kanji!" Amagi-senpai exclaimed. "That's not how you talk to a girl who just went through all that!"

"Not when she's dumb enough to use herself as bait. Tch. You're no genius at all."

Tatsumi-kun crossed his arms and averted my eyes. He had a strange way of showing his care, but I knew he meant well. I chuckled and sighed.

"I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble, Tatsumi-kun. Thank you."

His eyes burst open and he gawked at me for a few seconds, his face turning crimson.

"A-anyway!" he said. "I'm going back to help. I'm leaving her to you, Senpai."

"Me too!" Teddie cheerfully shouted. "I can't leave Sensei now!"

And just like that, the two of them disappeared inside the TV.

Amagi-senpai kneeled at my side, a look of tender tranquility upon her face.

"Take all the time you need. We'll bring you home when you've had some rest," she said.

"Sheesh… You really put your life on the line for this…" Satonaka-senpai added.

Silence reigned for a few moments, but there was a burning question I had to ask.

"Is… Is Senpai going to be okay?"

My voice was way too small, and I couldn't exactly tell why.

"Narukami? Don't worry about him. He's a sturdy fellow," Satonaka-senpai answered with a giant grin. "He's not our leader for nothing."

Her words were meant to appease me, but they somehow only managed to stoke the fire rampaging within.

My mind went back to that whimper that would surely haunt me for days to come. "He still held up until we were outside to avoid slowing us down…"

"He's tired but even without Diarahan he wouldn't be in danger. I saw it," Amagi-senpai said. "He's already done this the most out of us all!"

Something bugged me in that last phrase. "The most…?"

"Oh yeah, he was there from the beginning," Satonaka-senpai responded. "He helped Hanamura, then he helped me, then Yukiko… You get the gist."

"He did?"

Her pride was clear to see in her expression. "Yup! Told you, there's a reason he's the leader."

That shed a new light on Senpai. He had taken the case into his hands from the very start… Why? And how?

And there was the matter of his ability to change Personas. Where did that come from?

The images from their battle against my Shadow flooded back. His worried glances towards me as I helplessly writhed on the table, his reflexes when defending his team from her attacks, the light inside his eyes as he fought back… There was something about him that I couldn't yet pinpoint.

Somehow, he made us all feel safe. And seeing the team's respect for him only cemented my impression that Senpai was a precious asset I had gained for the case. But describing him as an asset seemed wrong in a sense.

He was an ally. Perhaps a friend?

That felt more appropriate.

One image stuck with me more than the others; the gentle smile he had displayed after I gained my Persona.

The urge to smile back to a memory inside my brain grew almost too powerful to repress. A strange heat rose inside my chest, not contriving nor stifling. It was a quiet flow, mellow and soft yet vivid and powerful.

"He's something, all right…" I voiced aloud.

"Don't need to tell that to Yukiko, eh?" Satonaka-senpai said in a teasing tone. She then turned towards her friend and repeatedly lifted her eyebrows.

Amagi-senpai's face turned bright red. "It was just—It wasn't—"

I was confused for a second, but Satonaka-senpai thankfully—or rather _unfortunately_ , as I would soon learn—cleared the situation up.

"Yukiko here kind of had a crush on him for a bit," she whispered with a hand on the side of her mouth and a sneaky wink.

It was my turn to feel my face flush in second-handed embarrassment. "I probably didn't need to know that."

"C-Chie!"

"Whaaaaaat? It was cute!"

"It was an _infatuation!"_ Amagi-senpai tried to explain while her arms stiffened at her sides. "He was the new boy in town, and he was easy to talk to, and he had just helped save m—WHY AM I JUSTIFYING THIS?!"

"Uh-huh… Very convincing."

"You're a cruel friend, Chie…"

The embarrassment faded, and a warm fuzz took over. Before I knew it, I was laughing earnestly at their light-hearted silliness. Maybe the exhaustion had helped ease off my awkwardness around people?

When I could finally calm down, I caught both their surprised gazes turned in my direction.

"Wha—Is everything all right?" I asked, tension shooting up as quickly as it had fallen down.

"Your smile is beautiful, Naoto-kun!"

"Yeah, you should laugh more often!"

And the embarrassment was back full force.

"P-Please stop it!" I stood up with difficulty, the heat now burning my cheeks. "I'm ready to go."

Satonaka-senpai stood closer to me and grabbed my arm to support me as I walked. "Sure! Let's move."

Returning home took a significant effort, but both Senpais' presence was a tremendous help. As I finally crossed the gates and profusely thanked them both, the reality of the day's achievements settled in.

The case was alive.

It was something that had nagged at me for days, and I had obtained hard proof, along with a new means to find the killer and a group of friendly investigators.

It had been my obsession. My sole reason for staying in Inaba. My driving force.

In that case, now that the game was afoot, why was Narukami-senpai's smile the only thing I could think about?


	2. Shadows Of A Band

Part I

The first years' giggles as they waltzed down the stairs were a bit too unnerving for Amagi, it seemed. I was now able to recognize her ' _I'm going to freeze the skin I peeled off your severed head'_ look pretty well. The red she wore on a daily basis probably didn't help tune it down.

They were being extremely rude, in her defense.

Yosuke and Teddie thankfully weren't with us; I would have feared anything they'd say would only anger Satonaka too.

While Naoto had been the one under the extended—and inelegant—scrutiny of the tiny group mentioning her as if she wasn't standing there, she was the one smiling wryly at the roof's concrete ground.

"My, my…" she said. "Rumors spread so quickly…"

It was a small city, after all. The news of her return had quickly been eclipsed by the exciting gossip surrounding Naoto's revealed gender. Mobs would be mobs, mindless and all.

Despite her apparent comfort, I knew that her heart was in the right place, and thus that something was weighing on it.

"Don't listen to them. We're on your side."

The words had flown past my lips as soon as I had thought them. That wasn't like me, but I was probably going to say them anyway.

Naoto gave me a blank stare with wide eyes for a moment, then tipped her hat over her face to hide it.

"Th-thank you," she said.

Her voice had been a tiny bit higher. She was losing the reflex of deepening it whenever we were around. That was a good thing, I thought.

She cleared her throat and resumed. "There's no need to worry on my behalf… Please, treat me as you did before."

"No way we're not worrying," Satonaka said. "You do your best to look tough but deep down, you're just a softie!"

Naoto's face burned red when she spoke again. "I'm not!"

"You definitely are," Rise chimed in. "Isn't that right, Kanji? Doesn't that remind you of somebody?"

She elbowed him immediately after, which seemed to spring him back to earth.

"Huh? W-what? Oh, um…" His eyes darted anywhere except on the team, apparently settling on a distant star in another galaxy, up in the sky.

"Want a bit of water?" I asked while raising my still unopened bottle. "You look pale."

"Hell no!" he shouted. "Imma be late for… some'in. See ya."

And he stormed off the roof without another word.

Rise sighed audibly. "I try, honestly. It's tiring."

I didn't know Naoto could look this confused, but she eventually shrugged the incomprehension away.

"In any case, I was happy we could go over the details of my abduction yesterday. If you don't mind, I have a few more details to review," she said, staring directly into my eyes. "Can we reconvene tomorrow?"

"Why are you only looking at Narukami-kun?" Satonaka asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

"That's because she thinks you're kinda dumb," I deadpanned.

She merely sighed. "Should have seen that one coming. I have to learn to shut it someday."

"Actually, I would appreciate it if everyone could come," Naoto explained. "I'll need as much input as I can gather."

Satonaka crossed her arms. "Well, okay. But there's something we must do first."

I had a feeling I was aware of what they were planning.

"What would that be?" Naoto asked.

Satonaka and Rise exchanged a nod.

"We know Teddie, Hanamura, and Kanji are not here, so it isn't all of us yet, but we would like to officially welcome you to the team!" Satonaka said with pride as she extended the pair of glasses that officially marked her as one of us.

Naoto's mouth gaped open. She wasn't being very composed lately…

"That's for me?"

"Duh, of course," Rise said. "We said you could join us, and we weren't joking." She turned towards me. "You even have Senpai's Thumbs-Up Of Approval. Right, Senpai?"

I suppressed a chuckle and complied, lifting my right hand. The thumbs-up was a completely new invention, but I went along with it. Naoto needed the morale boost after what she'd been through.

She accepted the glasses, put them on, adjusted them over her nose, and looked at me with one of her rare genuine smiles. "Thank you, Leader."

I responded with a simple nod.

"Now that that's out of the way, I have duties to go back to," Satonaka said with a stretch.

I sighed. "Trial of the Dragon doesn't count as a duty."

"To the heretical, maybe. Don't forget to call the guys, Narukami-kun. Chie, out. See ya tomorrow!"

The girls waved goodbye and disappeared down the stairs. I stood, ready to follow, when I noticed that Naoto had remained, fidgeting over her spot.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

She heaved an interminable breath. "I wanted to talk to you, Senpai."

That sounded ominous.

"What is it?"

Naoto composed herself and stepped closer.

"I…I wanted to thank you."

"Didn't you just… do that like five seconds ago?" I asked.

She brought her hat lower to hide her face just like she had done earlier. "No, umm. I wanted to thank you for what happened on the other side."

That was odd. Why did she have to wait for everyone to go?

"You should thank Kanji and Rise," I answered. "We wouldn't have found you without them."

"That I already did. Kujikawa-san hugged me and waved it off," she explained with a shudder. "And Tatsumi-kun ran away. He doesn't seem to be very fond of me."

She was _that_ blind. For heaven's sake, I couldn't have rolled my eyes harder if I tried.

"Oh dear," I unintentionally blurted out.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing."

Naoto didn't look like she was going to press the matter further. There would be time to break the news to her some other day.

"S-so, anyway…" she sputtered. "I wanted to say thank you for believing in me. I had no doubts that you would come for me."

Now, I couldn't _not_ smile. That tiny detective packed a punch, but she still was a scared kid at heart. And while she was probably one of the most courageous people I had ever met, she must have been terrified while waiting for us.

Knowing that she was now safe warmed my heart to no end.

"It was very dangerous, but like Yosuke said, it was brave of you."

"It was a consultant's job. Even if they're seen as outsiders, they still get things done."

"Hopefully now that you're not a consultant anymore, you'll dial the suicide missions down," I joked. "I can only handle so much with Teddie and Kanji just _existing."_

"I'll try not to jump into unknown dangers the next time I have to carry the investigation on my shoulders," she said with a cocky air about her I was seeing for the first time.

I bit my lips to prevent myself from grinning back. "That's how it is then, smarty pants? You just declared war."

She crossed her arms. "I'm not worried. Of the two of us, who can legally carry a hand-gun?"

"Is that a challenge, Shirogane? Sounds like a challenge."

"Only for the most fearless of men."

We chuckled together, and something tugged at my heart. I didn't know what it was, only that it felt new. However, I didn't have the opportunity to pay it much attention on the spot.

The door behind us had just slammed open and startled us both. A tuft of orange hair dashed towards us in a flash and stopped mere inches from my face.

"Yosuke?!"

He was sweaty, smelly, his shirt was undone, and his eyes were frantic.

"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to process what was happening.

Yosuke caught his breath, bowed low, and clamped his palms together.

"Please keep this weekend open!"

* * *

Part II

The last echoes of a dissonant note faded inside the room, its distorted ring still banging back and forth in my ear.

This time, Teddie hadn't graced us with a wacky turn of his sticks, nor an impromptu clash of his padded hands. Or at least, I hadn't heard it. I believe. Instead, the… _noise_ had been all of us trying to decipher the melody we would be playing in a few short days.

Hanamura-senpai's idea of directly starting with playing sessions may not have been the most appropriate. Out of us eight, only four could play an instrument—at varying degrees of skill—and one of those four had to stay upfront in order to sing.

Tatsumi-kun and Hanamura-senpai had enough of a grasp on their tools to play the right notes, but Narukami-senpai was discovering the bass, and Teddie was Teddie. Not mentioning that Satonaka-senpai and Amagi-senpai couldn't tell their right hand from their left, from the looks of it.

Kujikawa-san, her experience helping, had obviously tried to steer us in the right direction. But a captain could only ever be as good as their ship. And in our case, the unfortunate girl lacked a helm, sails, wind, and water.

It had easily been the most disastrous arrangement of sounds I had ever let my ears listen to. I wasn't certain one could call it music, truthfully. Even background noise seemed too nice.

"This is the worst thing I ever heard!" Amagi-senpai said a lot more cheerfully than the situation allowed for. She visibly had trouble repressing her characteristic laugh, the hand that she wasn't using to hold her saxophone pressed against her stomach in an attempt to hold back its frantic pulses.

Hanamura-senpai's shoulders slumped, his breath sank, and his eyes closed. "It was an honor to know you guys. I'll try not to forget about you when I go back to the city. I hope I can stay in your hearts as a friend and a compa—"

"Quit the drama, Hanamura!" Satonaka-senpai chastised.

While he was being indeed dramatic, our current performance did not bode well for the live concert. I lowered my eyes to the keyboard under my fingers. I couldn't do much better, even if I wanted to—my lessons were now half as old as Nanako-chan.

The group seemed to share my hardly optimistic outlook and all heads bowed low in defeat, except for one. One who I would have sworn had just started radiating some light, somehow.

Narukami-senpai stood and walked to the center of the enormous room, drawing all eyes to him.

"This is it, huh?" He gently lifted his bass and put it over the desk at Teddie's right. "This is where we give up?"

"I mean, it's not that we _want_ to give up…" Hanamura-senpai said.

Senpai turned his back to us. "Let me say this, then. We're a bunch of morons." He whirled around immediately and lifted a closed fist, a burning glimmer in his gaze not unlike the first time I'd seen him fight. "Show some spirit, dammit!"

The sheer thrill and volume of his voice took us all by surprise. I'd never seen him get so passionate about anything, let alone a failed rehearsal—even the others looked completely flabbergasted, meaning it wasn't a very common occurrence.

"I was going to say that we would do our best and it would be enough for me to call it a success," Senpai continued. "But that's not true. Our best will be more."

" _This,_ of all things? This is what gets you fired up?" Hanamura-senpai noted.

"Yosuke?" Senpai called with a fiery glint.

"Uh, yeah?"

"You remember that time we fought your Shadow?"

"What does that have to do with anyt—"

"Who proved that the killer used the TVs? Was it the guitar in your hands?"

"N-no?"

"Was it the paper you're reading?"

"Hell no!"

He sounded a tiny bit angrier.

"Then who was it?"

Hanamura-senpai stood taller and puffed out his chest. "It was me!"

"That's right! Satonaka, Amagi?"

Senpai faced the poor girls who stiffened in a flash, their arms stuck to the side of their bodies in a straight and rigid pose that wouldn't have been out of place in a military casern.

"Who cleared that castle of its vermin and pried opened an impregnable cage?"

The girls relaxed. They then both smiled, lifted a hand, and gave each other an enthusiastic high-five. "We did!"

"Kanji, Rise? Who fought a thunder monster with their bare hands and held back Shadow Teddie without help while we gathered our strengths?"

Tatsumi-kun jumped to his feet and Kujikawa-san nodded in determination. "We did!"

"Teddie? Who literally crossed the barriers between our worlds so that he could grow a pimp body?"

"I-freaking-did, Sensei!" he shouted, his human form jumping out of his bear suit.

"Naoto!" My heart jumped to my throat. I hadn't expected him to call me too. "Who proved that the case wasn't closed on her own?"

His eyes drilled at me, but they were, as always, gentle. He didn't have to say anything for me to feel pride in what I had accomplished. But while there was still a long road ahead, there was nothing wrong in stopping and looking back on our victories for a minute.

"I did!" I finally said, the smile on my face impossible to remove.

Senpai clapped his hands once and opened his arms wide as if showcasing the latest rock band to an overjoyed crowd.

"There you have it. I've seen what our best looks like. And if we do our best, I will certainly not call it a success. That would be lying. I'll call it a triumph. I know we can nail this! Who's with me?"

And the group shouted in unison, the blaze in our hearts reignited.

"Tch, you really get into that do-or-die mentality sometimes…" Hanamura-senpai said with a sigh after the commotion died down. "Eh, that's part of your charm."

Kujikawa-san darted closer to Senpai—I had no idea how she could move so fast without colliding with him. "That's so like him, too!"

"That's right!" Tatsumi-kun said. "I'm makin' my Ma' proud. I don't care if I don't sleep for a week!"

Senpai crossed his arms and regained a calmer expression that better suited him. "All right, Rise. Time for you to give us a rundown."

"I'm not going to say something lame like _Let's give it what we can!"_ she affirmed with a wink. "We are putting on a show that will stay in those people's memory for years to come! But I'll need everyone's help to do it. Can I count on you, please?"

"Hell yeah! Count on us!"

For the first time in quite a while, I laughed. It was a quiet laugh, one my Grampa usually had trouble hearing—but not seeing, his eyes were sharper than an eagle's. It had been so hard to suppress I hadn't bothered to try.

"Well then," I said. Now that the mood had been elevated, there was something we could do. "Shall we resume our practice?"

An unexpected _Do_ sprang from my side. Amagi-senpai looked as surprised as we were, even though the sound had just come from the saxophone she was holding to her mouth.

She stayed mute and wide-eyed for a second before erupting with a joyous cry as she inspected the instrument with a wonderfully amused gaze. "I did it, I did it! It wasn't broken at all, I just didn't know how to use it!"

That was unforeseen. Fortunate, but unforeseen still.

The practice started again in much higher spirits and lasted for a couple of hours. The result wasn't exactly stellar by the end of the session, but we were getting ourselves accustomed to the sounds and harmonies of our instruments. We weren't close to a euphonious melody quite yet, but we were a lot closer than we had been at the start of that same afternoon.

The group unanimously decided to continue the practice session well into the evening, and while everyone gathered toward the room's center to agree on a plan for our meal, I caught Senpai stealthily drifting to the eastern wall and saw him sit on an isolated chair. He lightly put down his bass at his side and crossed his arms, smiling in my direction when he noticed me approaching.

"Senpai? What are you doing out here, alone?" I asked in genuine confusion.

"Could ask you the same question," he answered.

"I came because you were already here."

"Heh. Fair enough."

I leaned on the wall next to him and let my eyes follow his glance. The group was having a lively discussion, it seemed. A consensus would be hard to reach when it came to food.

"Not hungry?" I asked.

"Famished, actually. I just needed a minute to think."

I brought my eyes to him and found myself lost in the serene expression he was displaying. Senpai was the textbook definition of a calm and collected man, even if there were some outbursts of enthusiasm or complete dorkiness now and then, and I admired that about him.

But there was one thing that he was even more consistently.

"You look proud of them."

He chuckled and sealed his eyelids, letting the back of his head rest against the window's edge.

"I am, but… _Them?"_ He pointed a finger at me and popped one eye open. "You're not included?"

I realized too late that I may have had to be more considerate. "Oh, umm…"

"You're a quiet one, but when you speak you make sure I notice, huh." He straightened on his seat, his smile not diminishing in the slightest. "You're one of us now, Naoto. I don't want you to get the wrong idea; that you're a stranger, or worse, a consultant."

"What's wrong with consultants?"

" _They're seen as outsiders._ That's what you told me," he explained with a quick snap of his fingers.

I _had_ said that myself.

"Indeed," I confirmed with a small smile.

He paid good attention to what I said. It was a welcome change of pace from the police.

Senpai stood, and I noticed for what seemingly was the first time how much taller than me he actually was. He wasn't a giant by any means, and I was small even for… a female, but the full head separating our heights had never looked so big before.

"When we said _Welcome to the team,_ we didn't just say it like that," he said, his tone soft and understanding. "You're a member of our team. Our friend. If today proves anything, it's that we know you'll have our backs. You just need to remember that we'll have yours too."

"I know you and I are a team now, bu—"

"There's a big difference between ' _You and I',_ and _'Us'._ There are no expectations of you, don't worry about that. Just know that we see you as one of _us._ "

The simple yet warm care I could feel in his words was frightening. That heat inside my chest came back, now almost too blazing to bear, but I couldn't give in. I had yearned for acceptance for so long, and he was giving it to me so easily… It was almost like cheating.

I had to learn how to respond to situations like these. I felt like they would only become more common around him.

"I'm quite aware. The scene at the hospital…" I started.

"Which sce—oh, the one about your tits?"

He had blurted out that line with such a deadpan expression that I couldn't tell whether he was teasing me or not. My cheeks had already decided for me and were now two fiery tomatoes stuck to the sides of my face—that blasted Teddie had probably fueled enough of my shame for years to come.

I tried to stammer an answer through my embarrassment, my tongue twisting uselessly until I coughed and cleared my throat. Hopefully, the blush would disappear quickly.

"Please don't refer to uh… _them,_ like that."

"Sure."

"Anyway. That scene… It taught me _quirky_ was our most fitting keyword and that I couldn't let my guard down around Teddie, but I was a part of the group. I still have to accustom myself to living among a community, though."

"Naoto?"

He was back to that smile of his, his gray eyes almost sealed by how big it was.

"Yes?" I said while averting my eyes. I was trying very hard not to stare.

"I'm proud of you too," he finished as his fingers darted to the rim of my hat and gave it a playful push down. "In case it needed to be said."

Anyone else wouldn't have had the right to even graze my hat; but it somehow felt natural to let _him._ Why? I didn't know. And frankly, I didn't care.

My eyes fell to the ground in bashful timidity, but my heart soared, and my hand shot up to my chest in a useless attempt to calm it. I hadn't heard that sentence very often. To have someone like Senpai say it was comforting in a sense, exhilarating in another.

I liked it.

"It means a lot to me," I whispered.

"And to me. Of course, if you ever want to talk, about anything…"

I finally mustered enough courage to level my eyes up toward his. "…I'll keep in mind to seek you out. Thank you, Senpai."

"Anytime," he said with a sharp nod, then turned his glance towards the Investigation Team.

It wasn't long before I realized I was staring at him again. Very intently. Maybe it was becoming a bit rude? I had to look away. I had to. At one point.

My mind was now both blank and whirling like a tornado. For the first time, thinking wasn't the primary process of my brain.

I was absorbed. Absorbed by the shimmering glint in his eyes. By the unapologetic confidence of his posture. The pure tranquility of his soothing voice. The care he had shown in the little time we'd known each other, most of it as strangers.

I inched in his direction by instinct. All my senses flared, heightened by a phenomenon I was just discovering. He smelled of orange and lavender; a very discreet but still enrapturing perfume. I was sure it'd be more exquisite from up close. Maybe it'd linger if I touched his skin?

How strange… The mere image sent goosebumps up my arms. Imagining him enlacing me. Maybe I could hug him to test the hypothesis? It wasn't a bad idea. Of course, I'd need his approval beforehand. And we'd have to get somewhere quiet, where nobody wou—

Wait.

_What?!_

Hanamura-senpai's voice snapped me out of my short-lived trance.

"Hey, Yu! We're calling Aiya. What's it gonna be?"

My eyes burst wide open at the realization of how heavily I was leaning towards Senpai. I hurriedly used my hat to conceal myself and slung back, my face burning hotter and hotter. My latest irrational thoughts were still very much present in my mind, just like the steam inside my cheeks.

What had just happened?

I shook my head to clear it. Or at least try to.

Senpai hadn't noticed anything. "Two mega beef bowls for us."

If his calm timbre was any indication, he hadn't even looked my way.

"Damn glutton. That's a waste of money and food. Ramen it is for you. What about you, Naoto-kun?" Hanamura-senpai added.

I had slowly started getting my bearings, but the question was too untimely not to be distressing. "M-Me…?"

He arched a confused eyebrow. "Not gonna eat? I'm told the piano eats for two."

"Nobody ever said that in the history of stupid sayings," Kujikawa-san said.

"Shh, I can't hear her."

I was lucid enough to understand where I stood. Now that the _weird_ interlude was over and my face was back to its usual temperature, I could take a moment to think.

Senpai had been right. It was silly of me to ostracize myself. These people were reaching out to me, I could reach out to them. I owed them that. I owed him that.

I was one of them.

"Whatever Senpai chose sounds nice…"

The entire group giggled. I was now more confused than embarrassed.

"Is it something I said?" I asked Senpai.

"You're funny, Naoto. I wish you'd joined us sooner," he responded, and my heart rate picked right back up. "Come on, let's clear this up and choose something you can actually eat."

He walked towards them and I had to jog to catch up. "What do you propose?"

"How about California Rolls?"

Was he a fortune-teller? There had to be some magic at work for him to guess my favorite meal on the first try.

Nevertheless, I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Oh yes, please!"

"There we go," he said with a chuckle.

A chuckle that, for some reason, melted my heart.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you for reading!
> 
> Chad Yu strikes again. That was an aspect that kind of annoyed me in P4G (everyone and their mother simping for Yu), but thankfully, Naoto's canon crush on him is the one I find to be the most sincere. Part of the reason I'm writing this tbh.
> 
> FFS even the P3 characters get a crush on him. The power of Chad truly exceeds the lands of the living.
> 
> That's it for now, see you next time!
> 
> Peace,
> 
> CalAm.


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